Can you tell me more about you?
My name is Clémence, I’m 31 years old. I am French from Lyon. I have been working in London as a French nanny for over 5 years now.
If you had not been a French nanny what would you have been?
I worked as an au pair when I was in my early 20ies and I really liked it and liked being in another country. So I don’t know really, I’m not an office person and love the outdoors so being a nanny works for me. And I love London.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Because I work as a nanny I’d like to have the power to be everywhere at the same time. Sometimes you feel like it’d be easier if you could be everywhere at the same time: playing with the children, cooking when you have to and organising activities for the next day. And sometimes I feel there's so much more I could have done if only...
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
There are two words that I overuse but I believe a lot of French people do, at least one of them: it’s 'voila'. The other word is 'doucement'. With children, I feel I always have to remind them to be gentle, especially toddlers.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
After a long day of work, it’s the silence. Some days are absolutely chaotic. I’m not saying that in a bad way, it’s a happy chaos. I love what I do and I’m always giving my best and doing my best but I think to be able to do that, you need some time for yourself where you can unwind and for me, it’s in a quiet coffee shop with a book and a cappuccino on a Sunday afternoon, in London or anywhere in the world.
Your best tip as a nanny on how to handle tantrums?
I always try to understand the tantrum, why is it happening? A tantrum can be caused by so many different things like hunger, tiredness, frustration, or even sensory overload, so it's not always easy to pinpoint what caused a particular tantrum. And you can't really talk to a child who has a tantrum as they're not in a state where they can listen. But you can be present, offer reassurance, some kind of comfort. What's best with tantrums is to try to avoid the triggers when possible, and when they happen you can take them as an opportunity to help the child regulate their emotions and choose another response than a tantrum.
One thing you’d like to change in the nanny industry?
Well, I wish nannies could be regarded as educators and taken more seriously. We are not always taken seriously or people don’t understand how valuable our work is. We are not babysitters, there’s so much more we do, and there’s so much more we bring to the table.
Thank you Clémence.
Thank you kindoré.
Kindoré is a nanny agency based in London, specialising in connecting families with experienced and qualified international nannies. Additionally, Kindoré also serves as a French nanny agency for families looking to hire a French-speaking nanny in London or beyond.